


Fluffy Seeing Red

by Hils



Series: The Fluffy Files [29]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-08-29
Updated: 2001-08-29
Packaged: 2018-10-11 01:18:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10451775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hils/pseuds/Hils





	

As Dawn closed the crypt door behind her Spike took another deep drink from his bourbon bottle. The cheap booze burned his throat and he welcomed the pain, anything was better than the pain he felt inside his unbeating heart. Dawn's visit had confirmed what he already knew; they all hated him now. None of them would see things from his side of course, how much Buffy had hurt him and how much he had wanted the pain to stop. All they cared about was what he'd done and how it had hurt Buffy and Xander. He almost wished Buffy had let Xander kill him that night. Death would be a blessing in comparison to this.

What bothered him most of all was that he'd hurt Buffy. No matter what she said to him and how much she hurt him, the thought of her being in pain because of him was more than he could stand. He'd always hoped that given time she'd come back to him, realise that she really did love him and they could start over. But now all her friends knew, and they knew what he and Anya had done. She was never going to look at him again.

The thought crossed his mind about leaving town, putting this whole thing behind him and starting over somewhere new. He couldn't do it though. He couldn't leave knowing that the woman he loved was still here. Maybe he could make this right, show her how sorry he was. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it but he had to try.

Suddenly it became important that he saw her, tried to explain to her why he'd done what he'd done. He had to make her understand.

Grabbing his coat he headed out into the night. He had a slayer to find.

* * *

Buffy tried to keep her mind entirely on business as she fought the vampire in the cemetery. She'd deliberately avoided going anywhere near Spike's crypt, the pain of seeing him with Anya still fresh in her mind. She still couldn't believe what he'd done. After all his claims about loving her he'd slept with one of her friends. Now she knew she'd been right not to trust him with her heart, despite the feelings she had for him.

Deep in thought, and her body on autopilot she reacted a little less fast than normal, failing to spot a fist headed straight for her. The next thing she knew pain had exploded in her back as she crashed into a gravestone, shattering it beneath her. She barely had time to groan before the vampire strode over and picked her up by the collar of her shirt.

"Looks like I get to bag me a Slayer." The vampire grinned, his stale breath causing Buffy to gag.

She tried to grab another stake from her pocket but the slightest movement caused fresh pain to shoot through her. She was helpless, a feeling that she hated more than anything.

The next thing she knew, however, she had fallen to the floor and vampire dust was raining down on her. She looked up to see Spike standing over her, stake in hand. This was just perfect.

"You ok?" He asked with concern, seeing her wince as she tried to sit up.

"I'm fine." She groaned through clenched teeth, determined not to show him how much pain she was really in. "Go away."

But Spike was being his usual stubborn self and just stood there waiting for her to get up. When she didn't move he sighed and sat down on one of the nearby gravestone.

"We have to talk." He said softly, trying to keep his emotions in tact. It wouldn't do for him to break down and beg for forgiveness like some sap.

"I've got nothing to say to you." Buffy replied, finally managing to sit up but deciding not to move and further. "Now will you go away and leave me alone."

"I'm sorry." Spike blurted out, seeing that his current approach was getting him nowhere. This was probably going to be his last chance to make Buffy understand. If he ruined things now it would be over for good.

Buffy raised her head and forced herself to look him in the eyes. She tried not to react to the raw pain she saw reflected in them and forced herself to harden. "You don't have to be sorry. It's none of my business who you sleep with."

Spike closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She was making this difficult and he hadn't really expected any less.

"Tell me that you didn't feel anything when you saw me with Anya." He said softly, keeping his eyes locked on hers. "Tell me it didn't hurt even the slightest and I'll turn around now, leave Sunnydale and you'll never see me again."

She wanted to tell him so badly that it was true, that seeing him in the arms of another woman had meant nothing to her. But to her own surprise the words wouldn't come.

"Buffy." He said gently, crouching down beside her when he realised the words he feared most weren't going to come. "Why are you fighting this? I know you feel something for me."

"I can't." She whispered with the wavering voice of a frightened child. "It's wrong."

"Says who?" Spike scoffed. "The Scoobies? Since when do they suddenly know what's best for you?"

Buffy raised her eyes to meet his, the tears which she'd been trying to hold back now falling down her cheeks.

"I can't. I'm sorry, Spike but I can't."

He sighed, not ready to give up just yet. "What do I have to do to prove to you that I've changed? Just name it and I'll do it."

Buffy choked back a small sob. Why was he making this so hard? "There's nothing, Spike. You don't have a soul and nothing you can do will change that."

"A soul?" Spike asked with a raised eyebrow. "What difference does a soul make? You think having one stops people from making mistakes? Makes them a better person? Well, if that was the case then Harris wouldn't have dumped his girl at the altar and things would have worked out perfectly with you and Angel."

"You don't get it." Buffy replied wearily. "The point is Angel felt guilty about all the people he'd killed in the past, you don't."

"Ohhh now I get it." Spike said with a twinge of sarcasm in his voice. "If you feel guilty about things then that makes you a better person. Well, let me tell you something. Do you have any idea how I felt after you died? I blamed myself, if I'd done a better job of protecting Dawn then you would never have had to go near that tower. Same after the whole thing with Anya. I hated myself for hurting you and if that's not guilt then I don't know what is."

Buffy stared at him, not knowing what else to say. It seemed he had a counter-argument for everything she said.

"Look." Spike said, climbing to his feet. "I'm not going to force you into this. But don't throw what we have away just because you're worried about what your mates think of you. It's your life, not theirs, and as you've pointed out to me before if they can deal with you trying to kill them then they can deal with this. I'll be in my crypt. When you figure out what you want then you come and find me."

He rose and turned to leave, hating the idea of leaving her but knowing that if he pushed things any more that he'd only make things worse.

"Wait." Buffy called before he'd even taken one step.

Spike stopped but didn't turn back to her immediately; instead he closed his eyes and braced himself for rejection. This was it.

"What is it?" He asked softly, still unable to face her. If he did he wasn't sure he'd be able to maintain his cool if he had to look her in the eyes while she stomped on his heart for the last time.

"Don't go." She said so softly he had to strain to hear her. "I want..."

"What do you want, pet?" He asked, turning back and crouching down in front of her.

"A fresh start." She replied. "For both of us."

Spike dropped from his feet onto his knees, barely able to believe what he was hearing. "What does that mean? A fresh start?"

Buffy strength and confidence seemed to be improving with each moment that passed. Gone was the voice of a scared little girl and its place was the voice of a woman who finally knew what she wanted.

"It means we forget the past and concentrate on the now. I don't want us to jump back in where we were; I want us to start from the beginning. Maybe we could....I dunno.....go on a date? See how things work from there."

If Spike smiled any wider his face would have been in danger of splitting. She was finally willing to give him a chance, and forget the past.

"Sounds good to me."

"Great." Buffy replied with a groan, struggling to climb to her feet without aggravating her back. "Now I gotta go home and cover myself in Icy Hot."

For the first time Spike seemed to notice her injury and his eyes filled with concern. "You need some help?"

"Nah, I'm good." She replied, only to cry out in pain as she tried to straighten.

Spike was on his feet in an instant, sliding an arm carefully around her waist and allowing her to lean on him.

"Ok, so maybe a little help would be good." She replied with a small smile as they slowly made their way out of the cemetery.

Spike resisted the urge to grin like a fool as he started to see traces of the old Buffy shining through. Things were going to work out, he knew it.

* * *

The house was in darkness when they arrived, Dawn having already told Spike that she was sleeping over at Janice's. They stopped outside the driveway, neither of them speaking. Spike wanted nothing more than to help her inside and take care of her, but didn't want to overstep the boundaries of their new relationship.

"So....you gonna be ok?" He asked, not wanting to let go of her just yet. He'd missed having her close to him like this.

Buffy paused for a minute, as though she was thinking through the options.

"Could you...help me up to the bathroom?" She finally asked. "I don't wanna fall down the stairs or anything."

Spike tried to hide his smile and merely nodded. "Sure."

Still leaning on him they headed up to the front door and Buffy managed to get it unlocked and flip the lights on. They paused in the hallway while they removed their coats, Buffy hanging hers up and Spike draping his over the stair rail. They then continued their journey up the stairs.

It was a little difficult walking up the stairs side by side but with a bit of a squeeze they managed it, soon finding themselves in Buffy's bathroom. Finally Spike was forced to let go of her as she prepared to run her bath.

As she leant over to turn on the taps she hissed in pain as her back injury flared up. Spike moved over to her, unwilling to stay silent.

"Why don't you let me do that for you?"

Buffy nodded gratefully, to tired and in too much pain to argue about being coddled. If she was honest it was quite nice having him there to help her.

"Thanks. I'm gonna go change into my robe."

Spike nodded and set about getting out the Icy Hot ready for her and pouring some bubble bath into the water. Soon enough the bathroom was warm with the steam and the soft smell of Eucalyptus filled the house. It wasn't the most pleasant smelling substance but it would work wonders to help her muscles relax.

"Hey." Buffy said softly, re-entering the room now clad only in her robe. "Thanks for fixing my bath for me."

"No worries." Spike replied with a smile, knowing he should be leaving about now but somehow finding himself unable to move. He still couldn't believe that Buffy was willing to give him a chance like this.

"Do you...um....want me to take a look at your back?" He asked, now certain he was overstepping his mark.

"Thanks." Buffy replied without hesitation, turning her back to him and letting her robe slide down over her shoulders.

Spike swallowed at the sight of her bare skin, but focused his attention on the large bruise forming in the centre of her back.

"Looks nasty." He murmured, touching it gently and causing her to flinch. "Put some of that lotion on after you've had your bath and that should fix you up."

"Thanks." Buffy replied, pulling her robe up and turning back to face him. "For everything."

"Like I said, no worries." He headed for the door. "Well, I'll leave you to it."

"Spike!" Buffy called as he was about to leave, causing him to turn back and come back into the room. She blushed and lowered her eyes, smiling shyly. "I can't reach my back to rub that stuff on. Could you maybe wait in my room and help me when I'm done?"

Now Spike was sure he must be dreaming or something. There was no way this could be happening. Finally however, he managed to nod. "Ok."

As he left he heard the door close behind him and heard soft splashes as Buffy climbed into the bath. With a small smile of disbelief he headed into her room to wait for her.

* * *

Xander tenderly rubbed his jaw as he made his way up Buffy's front steps. Warren with super powers was not what he'd expected to come across whilst going out for a quiet drink to drown his sorrows.

"Buffy." He called as he entered the house, finding the place almost entirely in darkness. "I found Warren."

Seeing the light upstairs he moved to head up. "Well, actually my face found him and-"

He suddenly stopped, seeing something hanging over the stair rail. His face darkened with rage as he recognised Spike's coat and he clenched it between his fist as he ran up the stairs. Seeing Buffy's bedroom light on and the door open he headed there first.

"Is this what you call not seeing Spike anymore?" He demanded, holding the coat out. It was only then that he realised he wasn't talking to Buffy.

"She's not here." Spike said calmly, not moving from his perch on the end of Buffy's bed.

"You've got a lot of nerve showing up here." Xander hissed, throwing the coat at Spike's head. "You better get out before I finish what I started last time we met."

Spike didn't move. He hadn't gotten this far with Buffy to let Xander chase him away now.

"I know you're not that stupid." Xander said, pulling a stake out of one of Buffy's drawer's. "You know I won't think twice about staking you."

Finally Spike sighed and stood up. "I'm not going anywhere. You can either stake me and try to explain to Buffy what you did, or you can bugger off and leave us to sort this out."

Xander looked down at the stake in his hand and then looked back up at Spike who still hadn't moved. All he could see standing before him was a monster. One who had slept with his fiancée and was in danger of ruining his best friend's life. In his hand he held the tool to make it all stop. A small piece of wood that would rid the world of this creature forever. His eyes darkened with rage.

"Buffy will get over it." He said dangerously softly. Then he lunged.

Xander's attack had surprised Spike. He really didn't think the kid had the stones to actually kill him. It seemed he was wrong however, and barely managed to roll out of the way as the stake flew at his chest.

Xander might not have vampire reflexes but he recovered quickly, grabbing Spike by the shirt and slamming him against the wall. Spike struggled to get loose but that only served in setting the chip off.

"You know, I really wonder how you've survived this long." Xander sneered, pressing the stake over Spike's heart. "You're a pathetic excuse for a vampire."

Spike stopped struggling, seeing that all it was doing was causing him more pain.

"So how does it feel?" Xander sneered, applying more pressure to the stake. "Knowing that you're going to be dusted by a simple human?"

"Kind of the way it felt when you saw me shagging your woman I bet."

Spike was taking a risk here, but he figured if he could get Xander angry enough he'd want to pummel him first instead of just staking him.

His plan worked. Xander dropped the stake and punched him instead.

"Don't _ever_ talk about her again." He hissed, pulling back for another punch.

Spike braced himself for another punch but it never came. Instead Xander found his arm caught in Buffy's hand.

"Let him go." She said calmly, not letting go of his arm.

"You can't be serious?" Xander said in disbelief, turning his head to look at Buffy but not releasing his hold on Spike. "You said it was over between you two."

"We have some things to sort out." Buffy replied, her voice still soft and calm. "But whatever the outcome is you'll have to deal with it. I've never passed comment on any of your girlfriends. Even when you slept with Faith I didn't say anything."

"But he's a monster!" Xander exclaimed. "Am I the only one who sees it? I can't let you throw your life away on this.... _thing_."

"It's my life, Xander, and what I chose to do with it is up to me. I didn't stand there screaming when you left Anya at the altar. I tried to be supportive. Can't you at least try and do the same for me?"

Xander's face softened a little and he looked back at Spike.

"Fine." He sighed, letting go of his shirt. "Just don't ask me to like it."

"Thanks." Buffy smiled, pulling her friend into a hug.

Xander gave a small smile and returned the hug for a moment before pulling back suddenly.

"I forgot why I came. I found Warren."

Buffy's face hardened and she became all business. "Tell me what you know."

It didn't take long for Xander to tell them about his beating from Warren and his apparently new found super-strength.

"I don't know where they went though." He finished.

"Buffy, we found something." Willow suddenly called up the stairs. "We think we know where Warren is."

Buffy smiled with satisfaction, it looked as though the last piece of the puzzle had just been put into place.

"Can you tell her I'll be down in a minute?" She asked Xander. "I need to change."

"What about him?" Xander asked, shooting Spike a glare. He'd tolerate the vampire for Buffy's sake but nothing on this earth was going to make him like him.

"I want him to stay for a minute. No arguments."

"Fine." Xander grumbled, turning and slamming the door behind him.

Buffy waited until Xander's footsteps had faded before she moved over to Spike.

"Are you ok?"

Spike nodded and offered her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. What about you? How's your back?"

"I still need to rub some of that Icy Hot on. Can you help me?"

Spike nodded and took the tube of lotion from her hand. Just as she'd done in the bathroom Buffy turned her back to him and let the top of her robe drop off her shoulders. Carefully Spike put some of the stuff on his hands and carefully rubbed it onto her back. Buffy flinched as his hand made contact with her skin.

"Did I hurt you?" Spike asked with concern.

Buffy shook her head. "Your hands are cold."

He could hear the smile in her voice and grinned to himself before resuming his task. "Not really much I can do about that, pet."

Once he was finished Buffy pulled back her robe and turned to face him.

"Thanks" She smiled. "Just give me a minute to change and we can go down and face the firing squad. I bet Xander's painted a pretty picture of what's happening."

"I'll bet." Spike replied, happy that she didn't seem to care what Xander told the others.

Buffy opened her wardrobe door and used it as a screen while she changed. It wasn't like Spike hadn't seen her naked before, but if they were going to start afresh she didn't want their relationship to start with nudity.

"Ok, I'm ready." She said, emerging dressed in a pair of jeans and a white hooded shirt. Perfect fighting clothes.

"Let's go."

The two of them headed downstairs, ready to face the firing squad.

* * *

To her credit Willow and Tara managed not to say anything about the renewal of Buffy and Spike's relationship. Instead they quickly told them all what she had managed to find in the book Buffy had salvaged from the Trio's lair. It seemed their next plan was to rob a bank to fund the rest of their exploits. No mention was made of Warren's new super-strength though.

"This is good." Buffy said once she'd heard everything. "If Warren's gone all Mighty Mouse then I won't need to hold them back. Him and his nerds are going down this time."

"I'm coming with you." Spike said as Buffy climbed to her feet.

Everyone except looked surprised except Xander who just looked annoyed. Now Spike was trying to play the hero on top of everything else.

"Spike, you can't." Buffy said gently, appreciating his concern for her. "They're human."

"You can't go alone." Spike insisted. "Not with your back like that?"

"You're hurt?" Willow asked with concern. "What happened?"

"Vampire." Buffy replied. "Threw me into a gravestone. Still managed to dust him though."

"Ok, it pains me to say this but Spike's right." Xander said. "You can't go alone, let me come with you."

"I'm fine!" Buffy insisted. "I've put some lotion on my back and the Slayer healing is doing its job. Look, Spike can't fight humans and Xander can't fight super-men. I'm going alone and that's all there is to it."

It was clear that they all wanted to argue with her, but they also saw the determined look on her face and knew better of it.

"Be careful." Xander finally said.

Buffy nodded, meeting Spikes eyes and smiling away the concern she saw there.

"I'm not going to let those three get the better of me." She said, trying to relieve all their worries. "I'll be back soon."

As she turned and headed out of the front door all the others could do was wait.

* * *

Hours passed and Spike found himself growing more and more restless. He hated the fact that he was stuck here, knowing that Buffy was out there fighting alone while she was hurt.

"Where the hell is she?" He muttered to himself, pacing up and down the living room. How the others could be so relaxed was beyond him.

Willow and Tara sat cuddled up together on the couch, whispering loving nothings into each others ears while Xander dozed lightly in one of the armchairs.

Willow looked over at Spike and gave a small smile. It was obvious that he was concerned about Buffy and she was beginning to see why her best friend had feelings for the vampire. It was obvious he loved her just by looking at him.

"Take it easy." She said gently, causing Spike to stop pacing for a moment. "Buffy will be fine."

"Yeah?" Spike replied. "Well where is she? What's taking so long?"

As it to answer his question they heard the sound of the door opening and closing. The sound was enough to wake Xander and everyone looked at the living room door expectantly.

"Hey." Buffy sighed wearily, walking in and flopping down in one of the chairs, her eyes closed

"Are you ok?" Spike asked, moving over to her before anyone else can move.

"Yeah." Buffy replied, reaching out to stroke his cheek without opening her eyes.

"What happened?" Willow asked. "Was Warren where we said he'd be?"

Buffy opened her eyes and looked at everyone. "Yeah they were there. Warren was using some kind of magic balls to give him his strength. Jonathan of all people tipped me off. I smashed them and he went back to his normal nerdy self."

"S-so you stopped them?" Tara asked hopefully.

Buffy wrinkled her brow. "I caught Jonathan and the other guy. Warren got away using a jet pack."

Xander's eyes widened with delight. "A jet pack? That is _so_ cool!"

Everyone shot him a disapproving look and he winced.

"I mean 'Darn, he got away'." He added weakly

Buffy shrugged. "Now his two friends are behind bars and he's not Super-Warren anymore I doubt we'll see him again."

Everyone nodded, thankful that the saga was finally over.

"The sun's coming up." Tara mused, snuggling closer to Willow. "I guess we should try and get some sleep."

"Yeah, I'm beat." Willow said, smiling at Tara's closeness. "We're gonna head upstairs."

"Night guys." Buffy said with a smile, happy that Willow finally seemed to be getting her life back together.

Spike also smiled. He liked the two girls and was happy that they'd sorted out their differences.

"Guess I should head home too." Xander said, hating the idea of going back to an empty bed after seeing Willow and Tara leave together.

Buffy moved over and hugged him again, knowing how difficult this was for him. "Night Xander."

Once the door closed behind him, Buffy realised that she and Spike were the only ones there now.

"Have you got a blanket I can use?" Spike asked softly, not wanting to leave but knowing that there was no other option at this stage. "Just so I can make it to the sewers."

A pain filled Buffy's chest as she realised he was leaving her. She was only just coming to terms with the fact that they were pretty much officially an item now.

"Um...you don't have to go." She said shyly. "Plenty of room in my bed. Just to sleep I mean. I'm not quite ready for the other stuff yet."

Spike's eyes widened as he realised just what she was offering. She trusted him enough to share her bed with him without anything sexual happening. They'd never shared a bed before just for sleep. This was a huge step for their relationship.

"I promise to behave." He said with a mock salute.

Buffy smiled, heading towards the doorway. "Call me crazy but I trust you."

The two of them headed upstairs and into her room, closing the door quietly behind them. Buffy kicked off her shoes while Spike sat on the edge of the bed and removed his boots. Keeping their clothes on to avoid temptation the two of them slid under the covers and into each other's arms.

"Mmm....this feels nice." Buffy murmured sleepily, drifting off before Spike could even answer. He smiled and held her close, allowing his own eyes to close as he too drifted to sleep.

"Yeah." He murmured. "It does."

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when Spike opened his eyes and the first thing he noticed was that the bed was empty.

"Buffy?" He called; sitting up and looking around but there was no answer.

Feeling fully awake after his sleep he got up and wandered downstairs, finding no sign of the Slayer. He supposed she must have gone out for whatever reason. Having nothing better to do he decided to head back upstairs to wait for her.

As he passed Willow and Tara's room the door flew open and Willow stood in the doorway. If she was surprised to see him she didn't show it.

"Oh, hey Spike. Sorry, I thought you were Buffy."

"I think she's gone out." He replied. "She wasn't there when I woke up."

"So, you spent the night, huh?" She asked with a wicked grin.

"Nothing happened." Spike replied with mock offence. "I was a perfect gentlemen."

Willow smiled, seeing more of the Spike Buffy loved every time she spoke to him. "You wanna come in and sit with us for a bit?"

Spike grinned. "I dunno. What are you girls doing in there?"

This time it was Willow's turn to pretend to be offended. "Just talking. We don't spend _all_ our time in bed you know."

Spike nodded. "In that case lead the way."

The two of them entered the room to see Tara stood at the window. "Hey Spike. You have another muscle cramp last night?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "What is it with you two and your obsession with sex? I'll say it once more. We just went to sleep."

"Ok." Tara smiled, winking at Willow. "Whatever you say."

Before Spike could protest his innocence any more something caught Tara's eye. "Hey, Buffy's outside with Xander."

Spike peered over her shoulder and groaned. "Great, he's probably trying to convince her of what a mistake she's making."

* * *

"Hey Buff. Can we talk?" Xander asked, moving over to stand beside her as she enjoyed the sunshine warming her face.

"Sure." She replied.

"I...I just wanted to say I was sorry. You were right what you said last night. You've never made judgements on my girlfriends and the least I can do is try and be supportive of you. I know I think Spike's a jerk, especially after what happened with Anya. But if you're willing to trust him then I guess I am too."

Buffy smiled. "Thanks, Xander. That means a lot."

"Just don't expect me to like him." He replied with a small grimace.

"I'm sure he feels the same way."

"Things have been weird this year." Xander said, kicking a small stone with his feet. "Like we've all drifted apart. I've missed you guys."

"Yeah, we've missed you too." Buffy replied. "Maybe now the geeks are gone we can try and do more Scooby things together."

Xander smiled. "That'd be nice."

They hugged each other tightly, their friendship strong once more.

* * *

Spike frowned while Tara 'Awwed' at the scene playing out beneath them.

"It looks like they made up." Tara said over her shoulder to Willow who couldn't see what was happening.

Spike was about to ask whether Xander had turned Buffy against him when he froze. Something didn't feel right, in fact something felt completely wrong. He wasn't sure what made him do it but he suddenly grabbed Tara and spun her around so that his body was between her and the window.

A second later there was the sound of a shot and the glass pane shattered. Spike and Tara crumpled to the ground while Willow could only stare in horror.

* * *

Buffy and Xander froze at the sound of the shot and slowly broke away from their hug. Warren was stood in front of them, the smoking gun in his hand.

"That was a warning." He said darkly, the gun now pointing at them. "You're next Slayer."

* * *

"TARA!!" Willow screamed, running over to her girlfriend. Tears of fright were running down her face as she knelt down beside the motionless figures.

"Oh god, Tara, please be ok."

Blood was now staining the carpet as Willow frantically searched for any signs of life. "Tara, please, Tara."

"I-I'm ok." A trembling voice whispered

"Tara?" Willow whispered, not daring to believe she was safe.

"Yeah....I can't move though....."

Willow's tears of fright turned to tears of relief as she carefully rolled Spike off Tara and cradled her in her arms.

"Oh god, Tara, I thought I'd lost you." She whispered, running trembling fingers over her face and kissing her desperately to reassure herself that she was really there. "Are you hurt?"

Tara's entire shirt was covered with blood but it became apparent that none of it was hers. Glancing over at Spike Willow saw a gaping wound in his chest where the bullet had hit him. A bullet that would have killed Tara if he hadn't placed himself in the way.

"He saved me." Tara whispered, sitting up and crawling over to the vampire. Although she wasn't sure how much good it would do she pulled the sheet off the bed and began to tear it into strips so she could bandage him.

"W-what happened?" She asked as Willow stood and examined the shattered window.

"Warren's out there." Willow whispered. "He's got a gun pointed at Buffy and Xander."

She turned and strode over the door. "I'm going to stop him."

"Willow no!" Tara whispered frantically, not wanting Warren to hear. "You'll be killed. Stop!"

But she was already gone.

* * *

"You ruined everything you know." Warren yelled, still point the gun at them. "I was gonna rule this town and you've ruined it all."

"So what now?" Buffy asked, trying to keep calm and work out a way to get them out of this. "You're gonna shoot me? You think you'll get away with that? The cops are already looking for you Warren, you're only making things worse."

"Yeah, well even if they catch me that won't help you." He sneered, pulling back the hammer. "You'll still be dead."

"Warren." A Willow's called from the side of him.

The next few moments happened in a blur. The sound of the new voice hit the last of Warren's already raw nerves and he turned towards Willow and fired a single shot. Then, panicking he turned and fired twice at Buffy and Xander. It was only when he turned to run that he realised that something was wrong.

Willow was staring wide eyed at the bullet which would have hit her square in the chest, only the bullet had stopped mid-air about a foot away from her and was now hovering there. Warren turned to Buffy and Xander to see them lying on the floor, Buffy clearly having tackled Xander to the ground in an attempt to save him. Just like with Willow the two bullets hovered in the air.

"What the hell?" He yelled, looking at the gun in disbelief. It began to glow red and the smell of smouldering flesh filled the air as the now red-hot gun began to char his skin. With a cry of pain he dropped the gun and clutched his hand, dropping to his kneed and whimpering.

There was a small clatter as the three hovering bullets dropped harmlessly to the floor. Reacting quickly Buffy jumped to her feet and dealt Warren a powerful punch, which knocked him out cold.

"What did you _do_?" She asked with wonder, turning to face Willow who was still stood rigid.

"Me?" Willow managed to squeak. "Nothing. I came down to talk some sense into him and.....what _was_ that?"

"You didn't do it?" Xander asked shakily, managing to climb to his feet and walk over to the others.

Willow shook her head. "No. I felt magic but it wasn't me. I don't...."

She suddenly stopped and looked up. Buffy and Xander followed her gaze, gasping as they saw what she was looking at. Tara stood at the window; her eyes closed tightly in concentration.

"She's hurt." Buffy whispered, seeing the bloodstained shirt.

"Oh, no, that's Spike's blood." Willow said, still unable to believe that Tara had used magic to save them all.

"Spike's hurt?" Buffy whispered, fear etched on her face.

"Xander, call the cops and get them to come for Warren" She called before dashing inside and up the stairs. Willow followed close behind, desperate to see Tara

* * *

"Spike!" Buffy called as she ran into the bedroom, gasping as she saw his chest wrapped in blood soaked bandages. Tara had moved away from the window and was sat at Spike's side.

"I-I don't know how bad he's hurt." She said quietly. "He saved my life."

Silent tears rolled down Buffy's cheek as she gently pulled Spike into her lap and brushed her hand over his cheek. She was pretty sure a bullet wouldn't kill him, but she hated seeing him hurt like this.

"Spike?" She whispered gently. "Come on, wake up. It's no good playing the hero if I can't thank you properly."

He continued to lie motionless in her arms and she shook him desperately. "Come on. You can't make me fall in love with you and then leave me."

A small smile appeared on his lips.

"Told you that you loved me." He whispered weakly, a harsh cough finishing his sentence.

"Oh god." Buffy sobbed, kissing him frantically with relief. "Don't you ever scare me like that again."

"Tara?" He whispered.

"Yeah. I'm here." She replied.

"You ok?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "Thanks to you."

"Good." He replied softly and then went back to letting Buffy fuss over him.

Willow sat beside Tara who had moved back to give Buffy and Spike some room.

"You saved us." She whispered, pulling her girlfriend into her arms. Tara began to sob gently, the magnitude of what had just happened finally hitting her.

"I-I couldn't l-let him hurt y-you." She whispered as she cried.

Willow kissed her gently. "It's ok, baby. I'm here and you're safe."

As the two couples sat there and comforted each other they all felt safe in the knowledge that it was finally over. They were all safe and they could finally move on with their lives. They had each other and that was all that mattered.

The End


End file.
